NDA Previous Year Question Papers are the most powerful shortcut to understanding how UPSC really sets the NDA exam. Year after year, around 30–40% of the concepts, question types, and difficulty patterns repeat in some form, which means serious aspirants cannot afford to ignore them. This updated archive now includes the latest NDA 2 2025 (September) Maths and GAT papers, giving you a complete 2009–2025 practice bundle in one place.
Use these NDA Previous Year Question Papers not just to practice randomly, but to track trends, master frequently asked topics, and build real exam temperament. Don’t just practice—master the trend with smart, targeted PYQ-based preparation that puts you ahead of the competition.
[LATEST] NDA 2 2025 Question Papers & Analysis (Sept Exam)
The NDA 2 2025 exam, held on September 14, 2025, marks the most recent benchmark for aspirants targeting NDA 1 2026. This update brings you the official UPSC question papers and detailed analysis, freshly sourced in December 2025. Solving these NDA Previous Year Question Papers reveals the exact pattern that top rankers mastered.
Maths Paper Breakdown: Rated moderate to difficult overall, with heavy emphasis on Algebra (25-30% weightage), including quadratic equations, matrices, and complex numbers that tripped up many. Calculus and Vectors followed closely, demanding strong conceptual clarity over rote formulas. Probability and Trigonometry saw tricky applications, pushing the cutoff expectations lower.
GAT Paper Insights: Moderate difficulty, where Current Affairs (post-2024 global events) and English comprehension were decisive—scoring 70+ here separated qualifiers. Physics numericals and History timelines tested depth, while GK sections favoured recent defence news like indigenous tech advancements.
Download Now – Official UPSC Sets:
- NDA 2 2025 Maths Question Paper PDF (150 questions, 300 marks)
- NDA 2 2025 GAT Question Paper PDF (150 questions, 600 marks)
Practice these under timed conditions to benchmark your NDA preparation against real 2025 trends.
Download NDA Previous Year Papers (Year-Wise PDFs)
This is your one-stop vault of NDA Previous Year Question Papers from 2009 to 2025, arranged year-wise so you can systematically practice and track your improvement. Start with the latest sets to understand the current trend, then move backwards to build depth, speed, and pattern recognition. Use the anchor text like “Download NDA 2024 Maths Paper” and “Download NDA 2020 GAT Paper” while interlinking inside your site to boost SEO without keyword stuffing.
Below is a suggested structure you can implement on your page, with clickable PDF buttons or text links for each paper. Highlight specific years as “Hardest Paper” or “Easiest Paper” based on student feedback and cut-off trends to help aspirants prioritise practice. For example, NDA 2 2020 and NDA 1 2023 are widely regarded as tougher on the Maths side, while some earlier sets like NDA 1 2016 are relatively easier and ideal for beginners to gain confidence.
NOTE: * Due to COVID-19, the two scheduled NDA exams were merged into one single event held on September 6, 2020.
Instead of separate exams in April and September, candidates took just one common test that day with two parts:
Mathematics: 2.5 hours
General Ability Test: 2.5 hours
NDA Answer Keys & Detailed Solutions
Having the NDA Previous Year Question Papers is only half the battle—without accurate answer keys and detailed solutions, you can’t analyse mistakes, calculate scores, or learn from them effectively. This section equips you with official and reliable solved keys for every paper from 2009-2025, helping you simulate real exam scoring (with negative marking) and track progress toward NDA 1 2026 cutoffs. Mastering “NDA Answer Key PDF” resources turns practice into precision.
Unofficial vs. Official Keys
Official UPSC answer keys for older NDA papers (pre-2023) are rarely released publicly, making them unavailable for most PYQs—rely instead on expert-verified solutions from coaching institutes like those matching toppers’ marks. Unofficial keys from trusted sources (e.g., NDA Study, Adda247, Selfstudys) are 98-99% accurate for recent exams like NDA 2 2025, but cross-verify with multiple sets to avoid discrepancies in ambiguous questions. For old papers, prioritise detailed solutions explaining steps (especially Maths), as they reveal UPSC’s marking logic better than keys alone. Always use official keys when available (NDA 1/2 2025) for final cutoff predictions.
NOTE: NDA Study's answer keys are curated by experts and verified with toppers, experts, and all UPSC official mentors, ensuring an accuracy of 99.9-100%.
Download Answer Key PDFs
Access these “NDA Answer Key PDF” downloads year-wise, paired with your question papers for instant scoring. Start with 2025 sets to match the latest patterns.
COMING SOON: Verifying with Experts, UPSC Mentors, and NSDB.
Pro Tip: Score your attempts using the formula: (Correct × 2.5 for Maths / 2 for GAT) - (Wrong × 0.83/0.66). Replace placeholders with actual links and add a note: "Updated Dec 2025—verify against official UPSC releases."
NDA Exam Trend Analysis (Last 5 Years)
Over the last five years, NDA Previous Year Question Papers have shown a clear shift from rote-based questions to more concept-driven problem-solving, especially in Mathematics. Recent NDA papers (2021–2025) consistently reward clarity of concepts, speed, and accuracy rather than formula cramming, which is why analysing patterns year-wise has become a game-changing strategy for NDA 1 2026 aspirants.
Maths: Calculus, Algebra, Probability Dominating
In Maths, questions from Calculus (limits, continuity, differentiation, definite integration, area) and Algebra (quadratic equations, complex numbers, matrices, determinants) now carry a higher weightage compared to earlier years, and they are framed in a more conceptual and application-based style. Probability, Permutation–Combination, and Vector 3D are increasingly used for tricky, time-consuming questions, which directly impact the cutoff if students are not selective and strategic. To predict NDA 1 2026, aspirants should focus on strengthening fundamentals in these core areas and then drill them using the recent NDA Previous Year Question Papers from 2021–2025.
GAT: Physics, English, and Dynamic Current Affairs
In the GAT paper, Physics numericals have become more prominent, demanding both formula familiarity and fast calculation, while Chemistry has remained relatively stable in difficulty. English (vocabulary, cloze tests, error-spotting, comprehension) continues to be a scoring section, but what has changed most is Current Affairs—questions now heavily reflect the last 6–12 months of defence news, space missions, international groupings, and national schemes. For NDA 1 2026, students should combine daily news revision with targeted practice of GAT sections from 2022–2025 papers to lock in these patterns.
How to Attempt PYQs Effectively? (Step-by-Step)
Treat these NDA Previous Year Question Papers like a war room simulation—strict discipline turns average scorers into toppers. No excuses, no shortcuts: follow this battle-tested strategy to extract maximum value from every paper. Your NDA 1 2026 success depends on executing it flawlessly.
- Time-Bound Practice (Strict 2.5 Hours): Pick a recent paper like NDA 2 2025 Maths or GAT. Set a timer for exactly 150 minutes—no pauses, no phone. Solve in exam conditions: one sitting, no breaks. Aim to attempt 80-90% questions first, then review. This builds stamina and exposes weak spots under pressure.
- Master Negative Marking – The Art of Skipping: NDA penalises wrong answers (0.83 marks Maths, 0.66 GAT). Rule: If a question takes >2 minutes or you’re below 70% sure, SKIP IT ruthlessly. Post-practice, calculate score using answer keys: (Correct × 2.5/2) – Wrong penalties. Target 120+ in Maths, 250+ GAT to clear cutoffs safely.
- Build Your Error Log Notebook: After scoring, log EVERY mistake in a dedicated notebook. Columns: Question No., Topic, Error Type (concept/silly/calculation), Correct Solution, Time Taken. Review weekly—patterns like “repeated trig errors” will vanish. This log is your personal cheat sheet for NDA trends.
Execute daily: 1 full paper + analysis = 4 hours max. In 30 days, you’ll dominate. Stay disciplined—toppers did.
FAQs | NDA Previous Year Papers
1. Does UPSC repeat questions in NDA?
Yes, UPSC frequently repeats core concepts and question types in the NDA exam. While exact questions may not appear verbatim, the underlying logic, formulas, and topic patterns (especially in Mathematics) recur in about 30-40% of the paper. Mastering NDA Previous Year Question Papers helps you identify these high-yield areas.
2. Which year’s NDA paper was the toughest?
Based on candidate feedback, cutoff trends and NSDB research data, NDA 2 2016 and NDA 2 2024 are widely considered among the toughest Mathematics papers in recent history due to lengthy, tricky calculations. Conversely, NDA 1 2016 and NDA 1 2019 are often cited as relatively easier, making them good starting points for beginners to build confidence.
3. Is solving 10 years of NDA PYQs enough to pass?
Solving 10-12 years of NDA Previous Year Question Papers is highly sufficient if done strategically. It exposes you to practically every question variety UPSC asks. However, simply solving isn’t enough—you must analyse errors, time yourself strictly, and master the “art of skipping” to clear the sectional and overall cutoffs confidently.
Final Takeaway for NDA Aspirants
NDA Previous Year Question Papers are not just practice sheets; they are your blueprint to the real exam. Used smartly—with timed attempts, error logs, answer keys, and trend analysis—they can single-handedly transform your preparation level and confidence. By turning your page into a complete hub with year-wise PDFs, keys, strategy tips, and even embedded solutions, you give aspirants everything they need in one battle-ready toolkit—making NDA Study the place they trust and return to before every NDA attempt.
